Former Colorado coach Jon Embree cried and struck a defiant tone at times today during his portion of an awkward press conference announcing his firing at the Dal Ward Center.

Embree paced, took a big swig of water from a bottle and sighed deeply before sitting at a folding table in the Varsity Room on the second floor just down the hall from the office he occupied for slightly less than two calendar years.

Members of his family, much of the team he coached this year and his assistants stood or sat in the back of the room, showing their support and also their displeasure with athletic director Mike Bohn's decision.

Embree began by addressing his players.

"As we move forward, know I'll always have your back and I'll do anything I can for you," he said.

"...To my kids, the ones who carry my last name and the ones I coach, just remember, don't let anyone take nothing away from you. They can't if you don't let them."

At one point an unidentified player spoke to the coach from the back of the room.

"Thank you coach," he said. "We love you."

"I love you, too," Embree responded.

Embree was fired Sunday after a 1-11 season and going 4-21 in his two years on the job. He was the first black head coach in the history of the program and the only coach to be given fewer than three full seasons on the job since 1962.

"If this decision were based on passion for CU and dedication, there is no doubt Jon would be coach for life," Chancellor Phil DiStefano said. "But it also has to be based upon progress and results, which we simply did not see enough this year.

"We looked at the performance on the field and did not see the development and the cohesion nor progressive strategy that gave us confidence in the future. That's why this decision was made."

CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard confirmed the total buyout for the three years remaining on Embree's contract and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy's contract is $2.437,500. Hilliard said CU attorneys determined Monday Embree is owed $1.625 million and Bieniemy is owed $812,500.

No public funds will be used to pay the buyouts. They will be funded by private donations and other resources such as Pac-12 Conference television revenue.

Bohn said the school hasn't hired an outside consultant to aid its search but it has talked with at least one. The school is forming a search committee. Bohn said he has a favorite in mind for the job who is currently a head coach at another university. He said previous experience as a head coach is important to him.

Tears run down the face of freshman De'Jon Wilson as he hugs former University of Colorado Head Coach Jon Embree. For more photos and video of the press conference go to www.dailycamera.com
Jeremy Papasso/ Camera (JEREMY PAPASSO)

Embree was hired in 2010 away from his job as tight ends coach with the Washington Redskins. He had no previous experience as a coordinator or head coach.

Bohn and DiStefano acknowledged they will have to significantly increase the annual salary of the next head coach to attract a coach with the right credentials. They said that could mean paying the next coach between $2 and $3 million annually. The rest of the staff will likely cost another $1.5-$2 million.

Embree and his entire staff were making less than $3 million combined.

Embree said as recently as Friday that he had been assured he was safe in his job. He said he doesn't know what changed between the season finale against Utah on Friday and his firing on Sunday.

"I don't know because I know Saturday Utah didn't get an extra touchdown," he said.

While most of Embree's assistant coaches were seen packing their belongings in the coaches' offices Monday the school has only officially fired Embree. Longtime sports information director Dave Plati said the next head coach will probably be given the option of retaining any members of Embree's staff.

Embree made it clear he doesn't agree with the decision to fire him. He said he thought he had the program heading in the right direction in every area and just hadn't been able to show it on the field. He said the university provided enough support for the program in some ways but not in others during his tenure. He was not specific about where CU fell short.

Embree said CU officials say they want to be competitive in the Pac-12 Conference and nationally, but the actions and choices made by administrators don't back that up on a day-to-day basis. Embree has worked behind a desk he brought from home because CU didn't want to buy a new desk. He routinely purchased water for everyone in the football offices. He said CU officials want a first-class program without devoting first-class resources to building it.

Embree said he wouldn't change his approach if given the opportunity to coach CU over again knowing he would only have two years to show improvement. He said he would have had to cut corners and put players in bad situations to do so and he would never be comfortable with that.

"Obviously disappointed sitting here today," Embree said. "I did things the right way. I don't care what they say or what anyone says."

When Embree completed his remarks he walked to the back of the room where he was surrounded by players who hugged him. It made an awkward event ever more uncomfortable because Bohn and DiStefano were forced to wait to begin explaining their decision and watch the outpouring of emotion.

CU President Bruce Benson is traveling out of the country but participated in the press conference via conference call.

"We desperately wanted it to work," Bohn said. "We had incredible hope and expectations for that to come together. We believe we provided the support to try and help Jon and his staff. I thought Jon was incredibly honest and I enjoyed working with Jon a great deal."

DiStefano and Bohn defended their decision to fire Embree for more than 30 minutes. Some of the toughest questions they faced were asked by former Buffs who are now members of the media such as Joel Klatt, Charles Johnson and Alfred Williams.

Klatt asked why CU fans should have confidence in them to hire another football coach after Dan Hawkins and Embree weren't successful.

"It's not an exact science in hiring coaches," DiStefano said.

DiStefano went on to defend Bohn and his track record at CU, saying Bohn is responsible for building a top-25 men's basketball program, as well as success in other programs in the department.

Bohn said he recognizes he has culpability in the failings of the football program but he is also proud of accomplishments under his watch.

"The landscape has changed across the country associated with college football," Bohn said. "The resources, exposure, the competitiveness and we're not going to be deterred. We've had headwinds with this program for quite some time and we've continued to have headwinds, but the alignment with leadership and so many other key stake holders has never been better."

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